My first Larrivee is on the truck, slowly making its way across the country. I ordered a new DV-10E, and expect to get it on Wednesday. Do any of you have this model? Any comments on your experience with one would be greatly appreciated.

I've only been playing about a year and a half, and decided that this would be a good upgrade over my Ovation Legend. I've only played a Larrivee once, in a Guitar Center in NJ about a year ago. It sounded better than the Taylors and Gibsons in the room, so I've been intending to get one for about a year. The deal just came to me the other day, and I had to take it. My only regret so far is not paying for faster shipping....

Well, I don't have any experience with the DV-10, but I have played Larrivee dreads and I just received my OM-10 last Thursday.

I think you'll be really happy with it. The 10 series is even more beautiful in person than any picture. Mine has a crazy bearclaw top that is great. I plan on putting up some pictures soon.

One thing to keep in mind is that it will take a little bit before the guitar starts to open up. While my new OM sounds great right out of the box, I know it will take a while to really mature. Don't get down if the sound is a little tight, just keep playing it and let it open up.

i just got my new larrivee (d-03 blackwood) last week. mine is not near as exotic or fancy as the one yer going to get....but i've discovered that any larrivee is going to do the job great. even the lower end models like mine....even though it doesn't have all the details......it does have the tone.

i'm really glad i found larrivee and spent my money on quality and tone and not media hype or a name brand. i also have switched from ovation to larrivee. i still love my ovation and will still play it....but the larrivee has surely taken it's place as my number one.

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-ZSelby- - Thanks for the post. I'll try to get some pics taken when it comes. If I can put it down long enough. I've never seen a picture of the bear claw thing people keep mentioning. I'd like to, if anyone has a link.

-sc morris- - How have you found the feel of the Larrivee as compared to the ovation? I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard electric, and the neck on the ovation feels very similar to me. Is the neck wider or narrower, thinner or thicker? I remember the Larrivee I played a year ago to be very comfortable, but I've played so many different guitars since then that my memory fades.

I'll put up some pictures tonight. I too went from an Ovation to a Larrivee. I had an early 80s Standard Balladeer. It was one of the best Ovations I've heard, and at the time I thought it was great. After a while I started to realize how flat the sound was. It was balanced pretty well, but there was no depth or woodiness to the notes. I came to really dislike it the more I played it.

A Larrivee will be a great improvement. It's a completely different sound, and that's a good thing. The one positive of the Ovation was how easily it played. Mine had a 1 11/16" nut, which is what your DV-10 will have. The neck profile on the Larrivee will probably be a little thicker than the Ovation, but to me it's very comfortable.

Arrghhh! She arrived on Wednesday night, and I finally got to open the box and give her a little love. She looked wonderful in the case, but when I looked a little closer, I got that dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was what appeared to be a split in the finish in the cutaway, and an amoeba shaped chip in the finish in the bottom where the guitar sets on your leg, right where it meets the back binding. You can feel both when you run your nail over the spots, and the chip actually flaked away finish when you touched it. What a dissapointment!

The guitar sounded great when I played it a little, but I obviously can't keep it like this. I am pretty surprised that a reputable guitar dealer would take the time to ship me a guitar at this price and expect me not to notice the blemishes. They have issued me an RMA, and I am shipping it back tomorrow. They have another DV-10E that they are going to ship in it's place, although it sounds to me like a DV-9.5E. It's a California made guitar, with the Abalone rosette and purfling, but it has a plain bridge and the dots on the fretboard. It also comes with A2 pickup, where as the first one I received had the Fishman blender. Has anyone seen one like this? Are the California Larrivees on the same par as the Canadian ones? Also, does anyone think I am making a mistake by rejecting the blemished one? I'll try to post a couple of pictures of it so you can see how major or minor the flaws are.

It looks to me like there are also tiny scratches all over the guitar. Maybe it's just the camera though. Was the guitar brand new or has it been hanging in a shop for a while?

The guitar they plan on replacing it with is, I believe, the DV-10SE. It is like the 10 but without the fretboard and bridge inlays. Any actual new Larrivee you get will have the B-Band pickup. I would prefer it over the Fishman any day. However, be warned that the A2 has no controls on the side of the guitar for the pickup. I would want this, but you may not. As far as I can tell, there is no way to adjust volume, blend, eq, etc. without using an outboard preamp.

You are completely right in sending it back. I would do the same thing. By the looks of your pics, the guitar is "shopworn" also. I also would not take a 10SE as an even replacement. They are less expensive than the regular 10 series. I'm not sure what dealer you are buying from, but I would not be happy with a shopworn damaged guitar that is going to be replaced by a lesser model. If you're not locked in, I would get a refund and look elsewhere.

I got an unbelievable deal on my OM-10, and I can direct you to that dealer if you want. Send me an email.

Thanks for the offer - I sent you the e-mail. Actually, it is really a pretty lousy photo, not a really scratched up guitar. Most of it is bad reflections from the flash. However the circled pieces are definitely flaws.

How does one get information about these other models of Larrivee's? Their website doesn't even list a DV10-E, let alone the SE or any other derivative. I looked around quite a bit online and only managed to see one or two other DV10-E's anywhere.

I've seen the 10SE listed a few different places as a "Special Edition with microdot fingerboard". It's not on Larrivee's website and I don't think it ever has been. You might email Matthew Larrivee and ask him about it. He has posted here a few times but I would send him something directly.

I don't know where you looked, but along with the dealer I emailed you about I would try:

Hi kids.First make sure you were not shipped a second.Dealers get a special price on seconds but don't always let you know.SE does stand for micro dots in a 10 modal.You can go to the Larrivee website and gwt a list of dealers around the country.I'll be on vacation until next Monday.If you can wait I'll see what we have in stock,I just can't remember off hand.But do return the guitar to whoever you bought it from,before you do write down the sr # and e-mail Larrivee,they keep records of the 2nd's.By the Z how did the saddle sanding go?

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